Kissing Butterflies
by Katseester
Summary: The Iwatobi Swim Club takes a trip to an aquarium. Nagisa flirts, Haru can't keep his clothes on, and Gou is a little fed up with all of them.


Do you ever sometimes go into a show expecting nothing but fanservice but then come out of episode 3 shipping a couple of dorks together like crazy?

* * *

"An aquarium?"

Nagisa pokes his head out from behind the poster, nodding enthusiastically. "It just opened last weekend. What do you think? Can we go?"

Haru scrutinizes the poster with a critical eye, nodding to himself. "Okay," he says dispationately, but Rei notices the slight flush that rises to his cheeks.

Nagisa cheers and throws his arms around Haru's neck.

Makoto looks like it's the end of the world.

They end up going the following Sunday. The train is almost full when it arrives and they all have to squeeze on, Gou muttering "geez," under her breath when the train lurches into motion again and she's shoved into Makoto.

"Pretty crowded in here, huh?" Nagisa says somewhere below Rei's chin, and when he shifts to his other foot his hair tickles his jaw.

"Yeah," Rei says stupidly because his mind is suddenly blank and all he can think about is Nagisa's shoulder pressing against his side. He stares at the ceiling in hopes that it might hide his burning face.

"Warm, too," Nagisa hums, and Rei could swear that he's touching him a bit more than is necessary.

"Uh," Rei says, because it's the best his brain can produce.

He risks a glance down at Nagisa at this point; Nagisa is staring just off to the side with a quirk to his lips that just makes Rei's blush even more apparent, and he resumes staring at the ceiling with newfound determination.

They stumble off of the packed train twenty minutes later and spend twice as long trying to locate the museum; Nagisa insists that it's _this way_ but Gou is adamant that it's _that way_ and they go around in circles until Makoto notices a huge billboard advertising its grand opening with some vague directions that lead them to a large building with a domed ceiling.

The foyer is well-lit and there's a long line-up for tickets, and they're all pretty sure Haru is about to explode from anticipation by the time they reach the front desk and hand over their money.

The rooms with exhibits are dark and cool and kind of breathtakingly beautiful; soft light dances every which way across the floor and along the walls, casting everything else into curious shadow.

Haru looks as though he's never breathed before this moment, and before they can stop him he's stripped down to his suit and trying to climb into the tank with an octopus.

"Haru!" Makoto cries frantically, trying to pull him down and looking close to tears.

"You know, I really am glad you joined the swimming club," Nagisa says to him softly, wandering over to a smaller tank full of tiny fish that glint prettily as they make lazy rotations around the container. "You really are very beautiful." He turns and flashes a smile at Rei that makes his chest stutter and ears burn, and he replies with,

"You too."

Nagisa pauses in staring at the fish to cast him a startled glance. "Rei-chan," he says, touched, and suddenly he can't meet Rei's eye.

Rei's brain catches up with his words and he can feel the blush spreading down his neck. "I mean - you're more cute than beautiful - that is to say, you're still - you're still..." He doesn't know where he's going with this so he stops, looking down at his shoes and wishing a tidal wave would crash through the room and sweep him away from this awkward situation.

Just then Haru sprints past them and through the archway leading deeper into the aquarium, and Makoto is not far behind, calling desperately after him with his clothes bundled in his arms. Gou pulls up the rear of this strange scene, sighing and rubbing a hand over her face.

They somehow all meet up in the fast food restaurant around lunchtime, and Makoto has to convince Haru to at least put his shirt back on before they order anything. Playful banter passes between them all, and Rei is perhaps a bit too aware that Nagisa is sitting rather close; his thigh bumps against Rei's when he moves to make an enthusiastic gesture, and when he sits back in his seat he rests his hand lightly on Rei's knee, as if almost by accident. Rei jumps and bangs his other knee into the table, upsetting their food.

Nagisa pulls him off to the side sometime after lunch when they're touring the saltwater exhibits; all but drags him behind a large sign depicting all different kinds of sea creatures and kisses him.

Nagisa's kisses are soft. Rei kisses back tentatively, trying not to think of calculations and angles and how long it will take before Nagisa gets tired on his tiptoes, but then Nagisa seems to take his favourable response as a cue; he presses forward insistently, tangles his fingers in Rei's shirtfront and his hair, bites Rei's lip playfully before slipping his tongue inside his mouth and running it over his own.

Rei almost chokes at the unexpected contact but Nagisa holds fast, tilts his head a bit to the side and sighs through his nose, the hot air puffing across Rei's cheek.

Rei doesn't know where to put his hands so he awkwardly places them on Nagisa's waist, and Nagisa murmers a small laugh into his mouth that makes his cheeks burn.

"You're way too cute, Rei-chan," Nagisa says, pulling back and dotting small, light kisses at the corner of his mouth.

"That's my line," Rei protests weakly, and Nagisa laughs again, stretching up and planting a kiss right on the tip of his nose. "A-anyway, we should be getting back now..."

"Oh, right," Nagisa says thoughtfully, as if this hadn't even occurred to him. "Don't need them wondering where we are, do we?" He smiles, playful and bright, and Rei can't resist kissing him one last time.

Gou gives them a weird look when they rejoin with the group and Rei realizes too late that he's holding Nagisa's hand.

Nagisa falls asleep on his shoulder on the train ride back. His head is kind of heavy and he's drooling a bit, but his cheeks are a little pink and his fingers are twitching just slightly next to Rei's, and Rei really doesn't have the heart to wake him. He thinks about maybe holding Nagisa's hand again, but Gou is still shooting them sidelong looks that are a bit too knowing and it's enough to dissuade him until Nagisa mumbles something sleepily and shifts a bit closer.

He tries to ignore Gou's smirk and focuses instead on how soft Nagisa's hand is.


End file.
